Cracked Dreams and Living Nightmares
by Briar N-Chant
Summary: Apple thought that she had found a lasting love with none other than Raven and, the two took their love to a higher level with matching tattoos but, that was so long ago. They've been apart for some time now and Apple can't bear to think that she's lost her Raven forever...has she? Apple/Raven, femslash. Rated T for safety.
1. Pondering of a Hopeless Dove

While I do ship Apple/Humprehy and Dexven, I do love exploring different things in my writing and, in my shuffle challenge I wrote an Apple/Raven chapter and I decided to expand on one of the snippets. I don't know how long or short this will be but, I do want to flesh it out some. I don't own EAH or the song lyrics that initially inspired the snippet. Enjoy!

* * *

 ** _"Now I'm sitting here with your name on my skin…" ~Eminem, Puke._**

Apple stared down at her wrist. A simple black bird perched along curved lines somehow perfectly fit the small space of her wrist. Even if the tattoo fitting on the small patch of skin was a wonder, it marked Apple's skin regardless.

If this had been a tattoo done with ordinary ink, Apple could smear it away using a beginner level spell and eventually wash it away. However, this had been a tattoo done by a magic-powered needle and permanent was a light way of putting the strength of this tattoo.

The little black bird was going to stay on Apple's skin for the rest of eternity and that was final.

Calling the bird on her wrist a 'black bird' was inaccurate because, that wasn't right.

Apple's tattoo was of a raven.

For _her_ Raven.

Of course, that had been in the midst of when their love was growing and they were busy soaking in the sunshine of it all.

Sighing in frustration, Apple realized that she was fixated on her tattoo now.

She ran her fingers over the curved lines one more time. These lines used to fit perfectly with the ones on Raven's wrist that surrounded her dove tattoo.

The two pretty birds, one black as night and one white as snow. The raven and her dove.

Another sigh escaped the heartbroken blonde. She and Raven, _her_ Raven, were no more.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I'm going to leave it like this for now. At most, there will be another 2 chapters but, at the very least there will be one more chapter...will the dove and the raven find love again? Or, are they just going to wear their tattoos as scars? Guess you'll have to find you!_**


	2. Facing the Truth

I didn't expect to update so soon but, here it is. Enjoy chapter 2!

* * *

"Raven…Earth to Raven," Briar snapped her fingers in Raven's face.

Before Raven could react to that, Lizzie reached across the table and grabbed Raven by her collar.

"Raven, you are to focus on the matter at hand or so help me it will be off with your head!" Lizzie spoke her threat through gritted teeth.

"Sorry, sorry," Raven sighed and then did her best to readjust herself after that.

"Ahem," Faybelle loudly cleared her throat, "Are you all done now?"

A consensus of 'done' went through the group and Faybelle was then able to continue.

"Anyway, as Raven has shared with us, it looks like the kingdom's financial system is doing very well. We're good in the skies, Briar, you've said that everything is fine with our neighbors across the sea. Lizzie, how is Wonderland fairing?" Faybelle turned to face Lizzie.

At this, Raven decided to tune out again. Here she was, at a council summit. She had never intended on doing anything remotely near 'ruling' let alone 'ruling' a large portion of land but, this was her reality.

While King Charming lay dying, he had become aware of many pieces of information.

To call these pieces of information 'bombspells' was inaccurate because many individuals throughout the land knew the truth but, had been reluctant to share that with the sickly king.

The truths that had been uncovered were: Daring's long-standing love affair with Cerise Hood, Dexter's deal with Eros to prove himself worthy enough to live on Olympus with Cupid and last but certainly not least, Darling revealed that instead of playing damsel, she had actually aided in several rescues of poor and helpless commoners and was going to be doing some saving of more commoners, damsels and princes in distress in the near future.

Once all of this came out, King Charming refused to pass the crown to any of his children and, the three decided that they wanted nothing to do with it anyhow. Dexter and Daring relocated as quickly as they could and, while Darling wasn't intent on leaving the land because she wanted to focus on garnering a career as a knight, she figured she might find acceptance as a female knight elsewhere and, she took her love, Rosabella with her.

Before her departure, Darling had met with Raven and Apple at the time and, after some discussion and the addition of a few more trusted women, a 'Ladies of The Round Table' type of ruling system had been put into place.

Faybelle was put in charge of the skies. She was to oversee all air-activity and to make sure that creatures and being with flight were treated with the same respect of non-winged beings.

She and Briar had buried the hatchet years ago when they hadn't pledged their destinies. Speaking of Briar, she was put on the council mainly because of Rosabella but, either way, Briar was barely around because she was traveling all about distant lands now that she was part of a DJ-ing duo that consisted of her and her long-time boyfriend, DJ N-Chant. This was the reason that Briar was put in charge of managing foreign affairs from alliances with distant lands to handling trade regulations. Sure, she was barely home for anything but these meetings with the rest of the 'round table' but, she still did her job very well in the midst of DJ-ing for a living.

Raven and Apple had been in charge of the overall ruling and management of the land that they called home…However, when the two split up, Apple ran to…to who knows where but, now Raven handled these responsibilities on her own. While she was managing rather well, she had been a lot better off when the work was split between Apple and herself.

Last but not least, there was Lizzie. She was the ruler of Wonderland and, because leaving out Wonderland was certainly not an option, she was present at these meetings to provide any aid that she could to all of the other 'departments' she could plus, should anything detrimental happen to a building or several of them, she could definitely help. She had nearly rebuilt Wonderland all on her lonesome.

"Meeting is adjourned," Faybelle announced and sprang up out of her seat.

Since Faybelle had been the leader of this meeting, it was going to be Briar's turn to lead the proceedings next time around. Everything was always kept very fair between the ladies.

"Lizzie, what're you…" Raven was thrust back to reality when Lizzie suddenly had a death grip around her wrist, the one with the dove tattoo.

"You are coming with me," Lizzie said nothing more and proceeded to drag Raven along with her.

* * *

Originally, Raven thought that Lizzie was going to drag her to her Wonderland. However, Lizzie ended up dragging Raven to Maddie's tea shop. Her tea shop in the Land of Ever After, not in Wonderland.

"Can someone please tell me why we're here?" Raven was sick of this whole day by now and wanted to get back to her castle and fall asleep for how ever many hours.

"I am no sorceress but, some types of tea do possess healing capabilities," Maddie started, "In this case, we're looking at a scar remedy."

"Scar remedy?" Instinctively, Raven looked down at her wrist to see her tattoo of a dove.

She let her eyes linger on it for a little longer than usual. Blinking, Raven pictured Apple's luscious lips offering a soft but sexy kiss to hers and…

"Did you see that? She's doing it again!" Lizzie was about ready to flip her crown.

"Now now, I've got this under control. Why don't you get back to the wondrous land of all that is mad?" Maddie knew just how to soothe Lizzie's nerves.

"Very well, give Alistair my best," Finally, something other than a scowl graced Lizzie's features.

Maddie giggled happily, "And give Kitty my best!"

* * *

"Tea is done!" Maddie chimed as she ran towards the screeching of her tea kettle.

"Isn't that a little loud for just a…" Raven stopped speaking when she saw the enormous tea kettle that Maddie somehow managed to drag into the room.

However, Raven was rendered speechless when she saw the even bigger tea cup that Maddie had Alistair push into the room.

"Don't worry, Raven. We'll be done soon," Maddie ran over to Raven and pulled her over to the giant tea cup.

"Maddie, even Lizzie wouldn't tell me why she ended up bringing me here through threats and…"

"Could you hold that thought, Raven?"

"Why…OW!"

The ebony haired princess screamed at the top of her lungs as Maddie dunked her wrist with the tattoo into the hot tea. Raven's tattoo felt like it was on fire, thus making the skin of her wrist feel the same way.

When Maddie jerked Raven's hand up out of the 'tea bath', Raven wasn't sure she could do much else but take in a sharp inhale.

"There we go," Maddie smiled at Raven's wrist that appeared blank now, "All we need to do now is wipe away the excess tea and…"

When the mad maiden's voice trailed off, nervousness enveloped Raven.

"And what?" Raven dared to ask.

"…and, that's not right," Maddie frowned at the fact that Raven's tattoo remained, even after being dunked the special tea, "Let's try again!"

"No, Maddie…DON'T"!

In fact, Maddie tried dipping Raven's wrist in the tea bath again and again. About an hour passed and the same results kept happening. Once the tea was cold, Maddie sighed in defeat and frowned at her best.

"I am so sorry, Raven," Maddie looked down at the ground.

Raven offered a forgiving smile, "It's okay. Really, Maddie. I…"

"For starters, you're still very much in love with Apple. Secondly, that's no ordinary tattoo you've got. It was done with a magic needle and, the magic of true love is making it impossible to remove."

"Maddie, what Apple and I had is over and…"

"Raven," Maddie continued interrupting Raven for her own good, "You two might be apart but, you cannot look at me and try to convince me that you don't still have feelings for her. Also, she's still got very strong feels for you or else the love that you two share would be no more. What I'm saying is, if she didn't feel something for you as well, I might have been able to remove your tattoo. Well, maybe…Okay, maybe not but, running away from your feelings will get you nowhere."

There is was: Raven had to face the very real feelings she still had for Apple. Fighting the tears swimming in her eyes was going to be impossible. Plus, now Raven felt especially guilty over the circumstances of her and Apple's split.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Aaaaaand, I'm choosing to leave you with a cliffhanger right here! Again, I didn't expect to update so soon but, this all hit me like a ton of bricks and, I had to write it down. Dunno when the next update will be but, I hope that this will hold you over until that time. Thanks again!_**


	3. Hopeless Not Helpless

Hello loves! I had no idea that I would be updating sooner than later but Hope you enjoy it.

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Apple let out a loud sigh as she made her way back into Daring and Cerise's castle. Today had been a very rough night at work and she was ecstatic to be free of her work environment chaos.

She could not even begin to express how thankful she was for their hospitality. While both Daring and Cerise had insisted numerous times that Apple owed them nothing and was free to stay as long as she needed, Apple had found herself a job and planned to get out of their hair sooner than later.

Sure, Raven might have been the more muse-ical of the two but, she had certainly taught Apple enough about honing her range while singing, reading music properly, and overall singing with emotion. With that knowledge, Apple had found herself a meager job as a waitress and lounge performer.

She sang to villains, heroes, failed villains and failed heroes alike. Some were slaves to destiny, others were not.

Many of the patrons of the 'club' if you could call it that, had broken hearts and were stuck living in the aftermath of their fizzled chance at happily ever after.

Letting out another sigh, Apple sympathized with those patrons especially.

Their ex-lovers had cut them loose, had sent them off with the sentiment of 'good-bye and good riddance' and that now meant no worries for the one who'd broken it off. Nope, no worry or pain whatsoever. Only the one who'd been thrown out like a sack of garbage was going to suffer.

Or, that's what Apple had come to believe anyhow. She thought back to the night that had played out before her at work.

 _A young wizard had been left by his girlfriend, a pirate. Apple's shift of singing had been over by then and, since the regular bartender had gotten sick, she had been tending bar. She served this young wizard a few drinks as he told her of his tales of lost love when, a band of pirates entered the facility…_

 _These pirates were none other than the band this his ex-girlfriend belonged to. At that point, his girlfriend made it a point to come to the bar and ordered two drinks: a shot of Firespell whiskey and an expensive and flashy cocktail. Apple poured the shot and made the fancy drink to the best of her ability which ended up being a waste anyhow._

 _The pirate woman knocked back her shot of Firespell and proceeded to drench her former boyfriend with the fancy drink. After that, the wizard said nothing, did nothing, and kept quiet where he sat._

 _However, after the drink pouring incident, Apple refused to make the pirate woman another complex drink based on the fact that she was not about to waste the establishment's alcohol._

 _Cue up the pirate woman bringing in her rowdy crew, the bar almost being 'taken mutiny style' and Apple then being rushed to be changed to sing an extra set and offering a song to soothe the unruly pirates added up to a night she wouldn't mind forgetting._

Shaking these thoughts, Apple walked into the small bathroom within her bedroom and proceeded to collapse into a heap on the floor.

Taking in a deep breath, Apple curled her knees up to her chest. Tomorrow was Friday and she would get paid at the end of the night. On top of that, Friday was 'Amateur Night' at the club so, her singing duties would at least be cut in half. That was something to look forward to.

Another sigh slipped out of the sad blonde princess. She couldn't lay on the tiled floor forever…She may as well get up, have herself a much earned shower and squeeze in as much rest as she could. Even though Apple had been sleeping in a bed all alone for some time now, not having Raven by her side every night still seemed foreign to her.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Aaaaaand, I'm gonna leave you lovelies with another cliff hanger. Sorry if it was a little short but, I feel like this piece has to stand on it's own. Keep in mind, there's always a method to my madness. I had almost given up on this fic when inspiration struck. I am back at school so, while this update is happening, don't count on another one following quickly. And, because one of you lovely readers asked, I do indeed ship Maddie with Alistair; they serve as a cute little side pair in this fic if that wasn't clear. Anyway, I hope this has served to lift you spirits in a way and has you wondering, just what will happen next. Stay tuned!**_


	4. When It All Falls Down

Updating this because I was inspired by the song Rehab by Amy Winehouse. I promise the hurt will be over sooner than later. But, until then: HURT! Also, trigger warning for drug use and attempt/wishing for death due to drug usage. Other than that, go ahead and dive in.

* * *

Apple's eyes opened slowly and her vision remained blurred when she heard a voice.

"Miss White? Are you awake now, Miss White?" The voice was that of an older male.

"Hm?" Apple blinked again and her vision focused, "Wha…Where am I?"

"You are in SpellCaster's Village hospital. I am Dr. Fernon. You passed out from a combination of over-hexaustion and a near-lethal dose of Dragon Dust." The elderly doctor explained.

"I…I don't remember that," Apple looked away from Dr. Fernon.

Dr. Fernon sighed loudly, "Miss White, Dragon Dust has the power to wipe entire chapters of one's life. It is no surprise that you do not remember."

Too embarrassed to speak, Apple simple nodded in understanding.

"Lucky for you, you were found before it was too late. If I were you, I would thank your savior," Dr. Fernon began walking towards the door when he turned back to face Apple one last time, "Miss White, may I let in your savior?"

Apple felt her cheeks turning bright red. If Daring and or Cerise had found her passed out on the bathroom floor she would never live it down…She was already gathering her things to leave their place and she was certain that they would kick her out since they did have a reputation to maintain and…

"Are you feeling any better?" Apple's savior entered the room as Dr. Fernon exited.

"R-Raven…!? What are you doing here?" Apple felt her voice shaking.

"I can explain…"

* * *

 _Open Mic Night: Apple's workload at the club was set to be cut in half and she might even be able to dip out early if the number of open mic singers was high enough._

 _"Ow!" Apple shook out her wrist, the one with her tattoo on it._

 _She couldn't explain why but, since coming into work, Apple's wrist had been killing her. She knew that she had better get over it or least pretend it didn't hurt because even if she didn't have to sing all night, she did have to at least open up the night with a nice greeting to the club patrons and a little medley if nothing else._

 _As the curtain opened, Apple allowed herself to exhale, walked forward to the mic on the stand and prepped to deliver her intro flawlessly as always._

 _"Good evening, everyone! I will be your MC for the night, the name's Apple White. I hope you're all having a good time and if that isn't the case, allow me to help," Apple took the microphone off of the stand and her music started._

 _"This night has only begun, yeaaaaaah," Apple quickly took to showing off her vocal range, "I can't predict the future but, take a chance and you miiiight just have some fuuuun. Pour out your heart into this mic, sing ouuuuuut and proud that you've beaten stage-fright riiiiiigggght down!"_

 _The crowd roared with applause when Apple noticed a certain ebony-haired and midnight-violet eyed beauty._

 _Raven._

 _What in the name of all fairytales was she doing here? Who had spilled Apple's whereabouts? As much as Apple wanted to storm off the stage in a huff and refuse to go on for the remainder of the night, she realized that behaving in such a fashion would not only cost her this job but, then she would only be showing Raven and the world her bad side._

 _"Any volunteers to kick off this open mic night?" Apple spoke into the mic once a quiet had loomed over the club once more, "If no one volunteers, our spotlight will have to do the picking."_

* * *

Apple leaned back in her hospital bed and shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to remember the pieces of memory that were coming back to her, "And the spotlight landed on you, didn't it?"

"Yeah, and then…" Raven sighed, not necessarily thrilled to be relaying the info to Apple.

"…then you simply had to take control of open mic night the same way you do everything because you can't stand going by the book for once in your life!" Apple pouted without opening her eyes.

"Oh? I find it so funny that you're calling me a control freak when your open mic night was just you and I going back forth passive-aggressively with songs that responded to one another," Raven glared at Apple, "In that regard, we are both control freaks. We kept at it until someone else volunteered and…"

"…and you just had to follow me, didn't you?"

* * *

 _"Apple, wait," Raven chased after Apple, "Please, I just want to…"_

 _"No, no. You made everything clear with that last One Reflection song. You have no intention of making me part of the 'Storybook of Your Life' so, why do we need to bother talking?" Apple felt ready to cry but, she was going to fight it for as long as she could._

 _"You are impossible, you know that?" Raven frowned, "You act like I'm the one who ran…"_

 _"We both know that you're the one who drove me away," Apple crossed her arms._

 _"Both of us were in the wrong and there isn't a day that goes by where I don't wish we could back to before everything fell apart and…" Raven was struggling to find that last chunk of words._

 _"And, curse you, Raven Queen! For you'll always have a piece of my heart!" Apple did something rather uncharacteristic as she grabbed the collar of Raven's dress and forcefully pulled her into a kiss._

 _Raven didn't fight back, she let Apple kiss her and she kissed back; her heart aching for their happy past full of tender romance._

 _"I…" Apple broke her kiss with Raven and look at her in disbelief, "I can't believe I just…Oh, curses!"_

 _At those words, Apple ran off to the backstage area in tears. What had ever possessed her to kiss Raven? She shouldn't have, they had been over for a while now and why bother fixing it if all they were capable of doing was hurting each other? She needed to forget and fast._

 _The bright blue eyes of the blonde princess widened in realization. She ran out through the back entrance of the club and was met by one of the older waitresses._

 _"Talia, I need a little boost…" Apple cleared her throat as she spoke those words._

 _"How much of a little boost?" The older waitress smirked._

 _"How ever much this will buy me," Apple threw a small sack full of shillings at Talia._

* * *

Raven stared at Apple in disbelief, "So, you mean to tell me that you've been using Dragon Dust this whole time?"

"I never developed a dependency, I just liked taking a little here and there to get me through long nights at the club," Apple turned away from Raven, "Besides, last night I may have gone a little overboard but…"

"But, nothing! You would've died if I hadn't used my magic to keep your heart beating while waiting for help to arrive," Raven frowned, "If…I…"

"If you what?" Apple had yet to turn back to face her.

"If I hadn't done anything last night I would've regretted it for the rest of my existence," Raven sighed and then she reached down for her wrist where she felt a sudden pressure.

She heard Apple also utter a pained squeak and noticed that the bedridden blonde was holding her tattooed wrist to her chest.

"Hurting you too?" Raven walked to the other side of Apple's bed so that they had to face one another, she then held up her tattooed wrist.

"Yes, very much," Apple held up her wrist in response.

Without saying any more words, the two put their wrists side by side so that the raven and the dove were united again. They watched in that comfortable silence as a flash of rainbow-tinted light burst across the lines of their tattoos.

In this moment, Apple felt a sharp pang deep in her heart. She was hit by the memory of the night she and Raven had gotten those matching tattoos.

* * *

 _Daring and Cerise had done the unthinkable and had gotten married on a beach in Hexico —in a rather small ceremony to be very honest but, their love was true and that was why they had invited everyone to come and celebrate along with them._

 _After the wedding, Daring and Cerise took off to Storykyo for their honeymoon and had left the hotel suites booked for their friends for another few days. While most everyone was quick to leave once the bride and groom had departed, Apple and Raven decided to appreciate that generosity. They enjoyed the hotel suite and after a bit of excessive drinking they had ended up in a tattoo parlor. The sign in the window said 'Please, ask about our non-removable tattoos!'_

 _And, they had. The lead artist of the shop with the name neither Raven or Apple remembered explained that a tattoo done by a magic wand which was technically a magic needle at that point, would always remain on one's skin._

 _"Our love is true, let's do it!" Raven stole a quick kiss with Apple._

 _"Raven, you'll hold my other hand, won't you?" Apple was rather nervous but, she did want this very much._

 _"Of course, I will my dove," Raven reached over for Apple's freehand._

 _"Thank you, my Raven," Apple had giggled happily and gripped Raven's hand, excited but also nervous to get tattooed._

 _Apple was convinced that the love between Raven and herself could protect her from anything and everything. There was no changing that._

* * *

Sighing loudly, Apple realized that all of that love was a memory of the past or…was it?

The only reasons she had ever turned to buying Dragon Dust in the first place was because she knew that enough Dragon Dust one day would make her forget Raven eventually and if not, at least she wouldn't have to live with the pain of having lost her—she was ready for whichever came first.

Both remained silent until Apple spoke up.

"If I agree to get help, can we please attempt to figure out where we went wrong or…where to go from here at least?" The tears in Apple's eyes spilled over and ran down her smooth, snow-white cheeks.

Raven nodded and reached over to wipe those tears, "We can."

* * *

 _ **A/N: Yup, I'll stop this here. To clarify, I was in England for a bit and well, I was listening to a lot of British musicians and the spark hit me. Oh and the name Talia is a shout to an older version of a fairytale and 'Dr. Fernon' was my attempt at making a fairy-tale-y sounding name for a doctor, I hope that was okay. I also want to put it out there that I am indeed, working on several fics while also balancing 2 jobs so, constantly commenting on a fic and demanding that I update will get you nowhere (someone keeps doing this on another fic of mine). Anyway, hope this was enjoyable and, this may only have another 1 or 2 parts, I'll see what happens. But, thank you for being so patient with me, thanks!**_


	5. Walking on Broken Glass

Hey, everyone! My time to write is limited and while this may be a little short, please know that I put my heart in soul into it. Once again, thanks for sticking with this story and enjoy!

* * *

"I can't just blame her for my addiction…" Apple looked down at the floor so she wouldn't have to look at the other patients in rehab with her, "My uh, sort of ex-girlfriend. We're not uh, not together but, we don't know where we're going…I was looking for a way out of my feelings for her, that's where my addiction came from. I was trying to, 'buy freedom' by way of the Dragon Dust if that makes sense."

"Thank you for sharing, Apple," The counselor of the group offered words of encouragement, "Would anyone else like to share?"

"Take the drugs over the heartache, honey. It'll kill ya' less fast," One of the other patients commented.

"Cora, that is very inappropriate!" The counselor scolded this patient, "How about we all break for lunch, okay? We'll reunite after and work on being much nicer to our fellow patients afterward. Sound good?"

Apple kept her gaze downward as she got up from her seat. This was going to be a long 90 days.

* * *

"Meeting is adjourned, keep up the good work, ladies! I'm off to Storybiza for my next concert, see you all next time," Briar was all smiles as she adjourned the council summit meeting.

The pink-clad princess made her exit promptly after and Faybelle flew out a window at full speed, leaving Raven and Lizzie. Raven was busy collecting up her belonging and notes.

"Come along now," Lizzie grabbed onto Raven's wrist and began pulling her forcibly.

"Wait, what're you…Lizzie, what the hell!?" Raven was annoyed, to say the least.

"You really think you're discreet, don't you?" Lizzie let go of Raven's wrist only to cross her arms.

"I'm not hiding any…" The violet-eyed princess started.

"Yes, you are. Apple is back in your life and if it's not permanent you'd like to go back there, wouldn't you?" Lizzie knew her stuff about love.

"Lizzie, it's really not that simple. You have no idea what she and I have been through and…" Raven raised her voice only for Lizzie to cut her off in an even louder tone.

"AND I DON'T CARE! YOU ARE NOT DOING HER ANY HELP BY CONTINUING TO MAKE HER DEPENDENT ON YOU." The glare in Lizzie's emerald eyes did not waver as she shouted.

After a solid minute of silence, Lizzie took a breath and returned to speaking at a normal volume, "You don't think Apple White entering rehab isn't all over the news? And, either way, I know Apple. She is much more stubborn than you and my Kitty, put together. She would never have entered rehab without you pushing her in some way."

"She wanted to go, I didn't make her," Raven shot a glare back at Lizzie.

"Not in so many words. She is going because she knows that would be exactly what you would want her to do with herself. If she's going to beat her addiction, whatever it may be, wonderful. But, she had to come to that decision on her own. You on the other hand…"

"What about me? Are you going to tell me that I need to explore my options or something?" Raven rolled her eyes at that.

Lizzie said nothing and placed a black envelope with a wax seal into Raven's hand, "Should you go to the address inside the envelope, ask for Maxwell. He's a friend of mine and Kitty's and can offer you some help."

Once Lizzie had left, Raven's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the envelope.

"The Black Mask Fortress?" The name of the location itself made Raven a bit uneasy.

What Raven didn't know was that The Black Mask Fortress was Wonderland's most notorious sex club.

* * *

Apple did not take well to group therapy so, now she was having a one on one therapy session with the counselor from before.

"You said that you began using Dragon Dust as a way to try and gain freedom from the feelings you still had towards your sort of ex-girlfriend. What is her name?" The counselor asked.

"Raven, her name is Raven," Apple looked down at her wrist.

Quickly, the counselor scribbled down a note about that and turned back to Apple, "Is that tattoo for her?"

"Yes, we have matching ones. I have this black bird for her and she has a dove for me. They're especially permanent because they were done with magic. They cannot be covered up or removed. Anyway, part of me still really does love Raven but, I…I just don't know if I can do this. All I want is another hit of Dragon Dust because then I don't have to remember how it's all my fault that the picture-perfect romance that we had fell apart all because…b-because…" Apple broke down in tears at that.

"Shhh, shh….It's okay. Let it all out and take your time," The counselor patted Apple's shoulder.

* * *

Raven walked up to The Black Mask Fortress. She knocked and received no response until a small slit opened up on the door. Steely yellow eyes looked back at Raven when a voice boomed.

"May I help you?" The voice, although loud, had a muffled quality to it.

"I was told to ask for Maxwell. Her majesty, Lizzie…" Raven began explaining herself only for a pitch black vine to slither forward and cover her mouth with a heart-shaped leaf that tasted like chocolate.

"Shh," The booming voice spoke again, "My name would've been enough."

Raven was about to speak again when she was teleported inside all while still 'gagged' by the chocolate-tasting leaf.

"Nice to meet you. It's Raven, right?" This was the voice from before, Maxwell.

He snapped his fingers and freed Raven from the restraint of the leaf and vine. With another snap of his fingers, the lights in the place flickered on.

Raven's eyes widened upon seeing Maxwell in full. The steely yellow eyes that had peeked out from before were his. He had a fish-like head, an arm made of metal and he hovered over; his deep blue skin only looked more ominous in the dim candlelight of the room.

"Y-yeah…I'm Raven." Was Raven could manage.

Maxwell smirked, showing off some very pointy teeth, "Don't be afraid now. My mum was a mermaid and my father was part Jabberwock. This, on the other hand, happened because I made a bad deal in a game of chess," Maxwell tapped on his metal arm, "Not to worry, though, love. I'm 'ere to help you with your little problem."

"I don't have a problem per say…" Raven started to protest.

"Yes, you do," Maxwell insisted, "Lizzie explained to me that you're stuck in a rut since your ex-girlfriend is still hung up on you and trying to get you back."

"Apple and I might be trying to figure ourselves out but, by no means am I in a rut and…" Raven tried to make her point again only for Maxwell to interrupt once more.

"Well, which is it? Are you two through or are you going to be together? You can't 'ave it both ways," Maxwell brought up a good point.

"I…" Raven didn't know what to say.

"Tell you what," Maxwell perked up, "From what Lizzie said, I get that you've got a thing for blondes. So, I'll lead you up to the dance floor with the open bar, you find yourself a pretty blonde, drinking a little this and that and once you're ready, go and request one of the sex rooms. It is said that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else."

"Sex rooms?" Raven's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Yes, sex rooms. Didn't Lizzie tell you that this is a sex club? Her majesty and her darling, Kitty, come here to dance a bit and then rent the Master Suite for themselves since they'd rather not make noise in the palace for their servants to hear." Maxwell chuckled.

* * *

 _Apple was the one to blame for her and Raven's life together falling apart. They had been dealing with being part of the Land's Ruling Council all while Apple wanted nothing more than to re-decorate their castle, get matching manicures, and maybe go shopping for specific outfits to really bring out their tattoos for one another…Really, Apple wanted to do anything but the actual work of ruling. Paperwork and meetings were boring and besides, she was too pretty to sit around inside all day, that was a fact._

 _One day, Raven had gotten sick and asked Apple to take her proposed plan for education across the land the Council Summit meeting since she wouldn't be able to go. Instead, Apple went out shopping for matching dresses for herself and Raven to wear to Daring and Cerise's charity gala which would be taking place later that month. Apple had eventually sent the education plan to Briar. Apple wasn't completely inept._

 _But, that had been the last straw for Raven._

 _"You do nothing but think of yourself. You have no idea how anyone outside of the perfectly privileged royal class lives, do you? Sure, I was technically born into royalty myself but, my father and I lived humbly and we didn't treat everyone else like they were beneath us. Maybe I was wrong about you, maybe you're still that old sour Apple that you were in high school and just got good at hiding. Maybe you even have me under some kind of enchantment, you did ace Home Evilnomics after all," Raven's voice had never sounded colder or more evil, "Since your mentality never left high school then, I'll stoop to your level. Maybe then you'll actually listen to what comes out of my mouth."_

 _Rather than argue, Apple ran from then on. Of course, not before a shared exclamation between her and Raven…_

* * *

"We yelled 'I never want to see you again' at each other before I really ran off. For a weeks, I tried to convince myself that Raven had been in the wrong, that she was an unappreciative and cold-hearted when, I'm the brat. I didn't want to help her do any of the hard work and, now? Now, I'm reduced to a drug addict all because I didn't want to admit that I was wrong…If I could go back and change everything, I would…Raven deserves so much better." Apple reached up and wiped her tears that continued to fall.

* * *

 _A/N: The person named 'Cora' in rehab with Apple is a shout out to the show Once Upon A Time. Now, Maxwell is an OC of mine and I will be drawing him and eventually getting him commissioned from someone who draws better. I thought it'd be cool to have someone who is a mashup of a creature and I figure in Wonderland, that would fly. And yes, just for funsies I gave him a British accent but, everything else aside, let's put focus back on Raven and Apple...guess we're finally getting to the bottom of things, huh? Well, this story sure isn't over and, I'm not necessarily sure of what direction I'll go but, I_ ** _promise it will be anything but, boring! When I update eventually, I am still juggling 2 jobs and will be going back to school very soon and while I will no longer be working both of my jobs, I will be balancing one of my jobs and school so, please be patient. Again, begging and begging for updates is not the way to get them. Thanks, everyone!_**


	6. Slippery Slope

Hey, everyone! My time to write is limited and while this may be a little short, please know that I put my heart in soul into it. Once again, thanks for sticking with this story and enjoy!

EDIT: Pasted a big chunk of the last chapter here, editing it out and going back to edit grammar in the little free time that I have, sorry!

* * *

Raven blinked, her vision was very fuzzy. She blinked once more and realized that this wasn't her bed and she wasn't in her apartment. She was getting very nervous when she realized where she was laying was a hospital bed.

"Wha…where am I?" Raven asked no one in particular.

"You're in my infirmary, love," Maxwell walked over to her bed.

"Huh?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Yes, we're fortunate enough to 'ave an infirmary at The Black Mask Fortress," The part-Jabberwock gentleman began to explain, "Would you like to see footage of how you ended up with that bandage around your 'ead?"

"Bandage..?" Raven looked up and touched her head, "Uh…I'm a little nervous as to why."

Maxwell couldn't help but laugh as he handed over his MirrorPhone, "Just relax and enjoy the show."

"And, you're showing me, what?" Raven had yet to hit play.

"Security footage from last night," Maxwell further explained.

Raven watched in awe as she ordered a few drinks at the bar and turned away several lovely blondes. She was then attempting to make her exit and…

"I tripped on an ice cube!?" Raven felt her cheeks going red.

"Hey, hey, keep watching now. See? My men had you on a stretcher as soon as possible and rushed you in 'ere," Maxwell gestured to the MirrorPhone and indeed, what he said happened in the video did indeed, take place.

"Thanks," Raven sighed in relief.

"It was nothing," Maxwell offered a toothy smile, "Oh and, I can tell you're still in love with your little dove. If you both want to make it work, there's no doubt that you can. But, you both need some breathing room."

The midnight-haired princess stayed silent and Maxwell waved goodbye as he made a beeline for the infirmary door where Bunny Blanc was waiting for him. The odd pair of the part-Jabberwock-part-merman and the bunny-woman left holding hands.

Raven smiled and shook her head, Wonderlandians were something else. Lizzie had tried to help but, if even Maxwell, a neutral party, very much believed Raven and Apple had something worth fighting for: they should try one last time. Even if they failed again, one final attempt at putting their love back together couldn't hurt.

* * *

 _A/N: And, I must end this here my dears. Thank you for supporting this fic, I wasn't sure how to deal with Raven at the sex club but, I had her do something kind of goofy for the fun of it. And yes, Maxwell is my original character and I like to stick him with Bunny (because I like Maddie and Alistair) ahem, please don't steal Maxwell. Thanks!_


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